Two Months After the Events of Kakigori
1
City S looked like it was booming from afar. People are going about their daily lives. Some are trying to rush through traffic to get to work. Some are trying to pickpocket others, and some are trying to gain popularity.
But close up, it's a different story.
Outside the entrance of a multi-billionaire business building named Yokota, a woman wearing a black suit walks up to a car on the street. The driver gets out of the car and shakes the woman's hand.
"Clear?" The driver said, biting his lips. The woman patted him on his shoulder three times. The driver grinned.
The woman got in the car and drove away, not looking back at the man she just talked to.
The man walked into the building with both hands in his pockets. The secretary looked up from her computer and smiled.
"Hello, sir. How can I help you today?"
"I have an appointment with Dr. Yokota during this time." The man said.
"Name, please?"
"Amano Yami."
The secretary checked her list. She couldn't find the man's name.
"Are you sure you registered? I don't see your name."
"Oh, I'm pretty sure it's there." The man replied.
When the secretary was about to keep searching for his name, a ginormous rat destroyed the main entrance and charged the building. People screamed.
The man pretended to be afraid like everyone else and waited for the monster to destroy all the cameras in the room. When that was done, all the bystanders near the entrance ran out of the building, and the man followed the monster down the hall.
City S Nature Park
Metal Bat sat on a pile of dead monsters—whistling away. He tapped his bat on the palm of his hand as he hopped off the pile. This is just straight-up boring. These monsters ain't even worth my time. And speaking of time, I got to go to Zenko's piano recital at 2:00PM. Right now, it's 12:00, so I have time, but…
Metal Bat walked next to a monster that seemed to cling to whatever life it had left. Darn, I didn't hit this thing hard enough. The monster trembled in fear.
"Please…spare me…"
"Why? You killed like ten people, and you're a Demon Level threat. Actually, scratch that. You're only scraping the surface."
"Just please…"
"I'm sorry I must do this, but you shouldn't have killed nobody. I mean, did you listen to their cries?"
"..."
"Thought so. You monsters are too easy. I'm sick and tired of it. I was happy when I got to compete against that Dragon Level monster, but now things are just so damn boring. Just two months ago, Demon Cyborg, S-Rank 14, killed a Dragon Level threat with that A-Class. But guess what? Thousands of people died anyway. Not even to mention the damage that has been done to A-City. There goes our stupid resort."
Metal Bat sat on a bench. He watched as the monster tried to crawl away.
"People always underestimated me because I told them my age, but not the Hero Association. Nope. I ain't even worried anymore. I still got a future ahead of me, but you monsters don't. All you guys do is come out and cause trouble. I can assure you, as long as the S-Class are alive for now, it's pointless for you guys to be doing this."
"You haven't seen true power…" The monster replied.
Metal Bat got up and frowned. He clenched his teeth.
"But you have. You just got bested by it, and now it's going to finish you off."
"Please…mercy…"
"Shut up."
Metal Bat smashed the monster's head. Purple blood splattered everywhere. Metal Bat wiped the blood off his face.
He started walking out of City S Nature Park.
2
Yokota's Laboratory
The man waited for the door to slide open. When it did, cold air came flowing out of the lab. The man took one step inside and laughed. The ginormous rat followed from behind.
Dr. Yokota was standing far from the man, pointing a pistol at the man's head.
"Step any closer, and I'll shoot…." Yokota said. Yokota knew his secretary had died before she could hit the alarm under her desk. Tears flowed down his face.
"And if you do, my pet will have another meal. Now, I want you to give me those SUHV Samples."
"O…kay…" Yokota said slowly. He walked over to one of the freezer racks and removed the cryo box with the label SUHV. Yokota walked like an old man.
"I don't have all day, doctor. I might start by peeling your nails off." The man said. Yokota quickly sat the rack on one of the tables and took out a SUHV sample.
The man snatched the sample from the doctor's hand.
"Let me guess, you haven't tested these on mammals, have you? If this is the wrong sample and I die, my pet will rip you to shreds."
Dr. Yokota breathed heavily. He watched as this man drank the sample. He spoke as the man clutched his stomach and fell on the floor.
"It…was originally created to enhance the abilities of any living organism, but only two percent of all organisms that we tested instead of mammals managed to survive and gain something out of it. We wanted to try it on mammals, but…."
"SHUT UP!!!" The man screamed. One swipe of his hand cut the table next to the doctor in half. Yokota screamed.
The man's skin began to turn red. He grew red wings and one tail.
"Thanks to you, doctor, I feel like the Devil just reincarnated himself in me. I'm Devil Yami. And I'm going to be taking those samples…."
Devil Yami decapitated Yokota with his long fingernails. The doctor's head tumbled to the back of the laboratory while his body fell to the ground. My head feels so clear. I can think clearly now. And my migraines… they're gone…I don't need that damn doctor away.
Devil Yami kneeled before Yokota's body and bit his neck like a vampire. He sucked all the life force out of Yokota and stood, shaking with excitement. Maybe I can turn others into Devils as well. I might as well be a vampire. If that's true, I don't need more samples to create an army! Devil Yami watched as his pet rat shrank to an average size rat.
He took the rat in his arms and punched a hole out of the building. He heard cop cars everywhere. Since he was on the fourth floor, he took a leap of faith and jumped out of the building. Using his wings, he flew away, thinking about how many people he would successfully infect.
3
Metal Bat watched with the rest of the audience as Zenko played the piano. How her hands moved with speed and precision made Metal Bat tear up. He adjusted himself on the chair again to make himself feel more comfortable. He needed this moment of relaxation, especially since he was annoyed at only fighting Demon Level Threats in the city.
Wait, what's that sound? Something ain't right? I can feel something hovering above us. Could it be a monster? Maybe, but if it's anything less than a Demon Level Threat, I'm good…
Metal Bat slowly closed his eyes. When he heard a weird noise above, just like everyone else in the audience started to hear, he screamed: "GET DOWN!"
Everyone got down except for Metal Bat. He watched as the devil flying above made a funny facial expression toward him. Metal Bat took out his bat and charged at the devil, but it was too fast. Crap! Metal Bat thought.
When he landed on his feet, he saw Zenko get behind the piano for cover. Oh, hell no! I won't let that thing go near her! He thought. When he sprinted to Zenko, the devil landed before him and punched him in the gut. Metal Bat spat out blood and ripped the devil's arm off with his bare hands. The devil screamed.
Metal Bat brought his bat up to smash the devil's head but was kicked into a wall instead.
"Big bro!" Zenko screamed. By this time, most people had already evacuated from the building. Metal Bat couldn't feel his arms. He had to admit that monster could pack a punch—but it simply wasn't enough. Metal Bat dodged the devil's punch and maneuvered to the other side of the building so he wouldn't get crushed by the rubble. "Zenko!" Metal Bat screamed. He raised his bat and swung as hard as he could, destroying the other half of the building to get a better view. Sweat ran down his face. He swung again. The building was now completely destroyed. Zenko was nowhere to be seen.
"Zenko!!" Metal Bat screamed as he leaped two-hundred feet in the air. He still couldn't confirm Zenko's location, but he knew one thing: she was taken from that devil. I got to get her back! How could I be so irresponsible?
He landed in a car. Civilians ran past him in a horde. He watched as some of them were turning others into devils, almost as if they were zombies. Blood splattered everywhere. Even the pavement was a bloodbath. Metal Bat dashed at one of the devils and bashed its brain out. He kicked the other devil, punched another one in the face, and batted one more into a building, completely destroying it.
They're so weak! I should be able to kill fifty of them in less than a minute! Metal Bat destroyed five more devils instantaneously and punched a hole through one of them. He dodged a slash from one coming from behind and bashed that one's brains out.
When he landed in a car, he saw a ginormous rat coming in his direction. He let loose on his bat a little and raised his eyebrows. What the hell is that thing? Is it coming for me?! Whatever…
Metal Bat charged at the monster head-on with his bat raised. He slammed the monster with everything that he had. When he opened his eyes, the monster was gone. What the? It had shrunk into a tiny rat to dodge his attack but increased in size when it got far enough. I see, so that's how you wanna play.
Metal Bat did circus tricks with his bat and jumped from car to car. When the rat shrunk again right before it was about to attack him, Metal Bat threw his bat at the tiny rat and watched as it was crushed to death.
A devil tackled him when he tried to grab his bat, which was stuck deep in the ground. It tried to bite his flesh, but Metal Bat punched it in the face, killing it. He yanked his bat out of the ground and witnessed twenty devils have their heads decapitated simultaneously. He grinned.
Flashy Flash appeared right before his eyes, barely taking a second to glance at him.
"What the hell did you do, Metal Bat?" Flashy Flash asked, sounding irritated.
"It ain't my fault! I have no idea where these things came from! Hey, could you do something for me? Please, scout the area for my little sister. She was captured by…."
"Just what the hell…hold up…." Flashy Flash decapitated ten more devils to save some civilians and went back to Metal Bat.
"Please, just go find my imouto!" Metal Bat screamed. Flashy Flash turned in the opposite direction. He sighed.
"You owe me, Metal Bat. Seems like we have two clumsy S-Class Heroes who can't even protect a city. At this rate, the Neo Heroes will overshadow us."
Flashy Flash vanished. When he left Metal Bat, two Neo Heroes joined him to fight off the devils. Working with them will make things faster. Oh well. Metal Bat tensed his muscles and got ready to kill more devils.
4
Zenko tried batting the arms of the devil that flew her in the air. Nothing had worked, and she was scared. After all, being higher than a skyscraper was no joke.
"Where are you taking me?!" Zenko screamed. The devil laughed.
"Devil can't say. Devil only follows orders…."
"Wha…" Zenko realized that this monster must've been a dummy host controlled by a more significant threat... Its eyes were white, and saliva flowed from its mouth. Some of it landed on Zenko's shirt. She tried not to puke.
"If you don't let me go, one of the heroes will kill you! They're even stronger than your master."
"Devil can't say. Devil only follows orders…".
Zenko struggled. She was running out of ideas to be freed from this monster. The only thing that she could think of would be to scream…
City A
Darkshine is watching TV as he's squatting 500 tons. He does ten more squats and slowly puts the barbell down. He looks at the door as he hears someone opening it. It is Mizuki.
"Senpai, did you hear the news about the devils in S-City?"
"I did. Don't worry--Flashy Flash is already there. The hero association was quick to respond. I think it's because this devil infection is spreading pretty quickly. Unlike in City A, where the monster became a Dragon Level threat in the shadows."
"You might be right," Mizuki replied.
"Anyways, there shouldn't be anything to fear," Darkshine said.
"Alright then." Mizuki closed the door.
City S
Flashy Flash zooms past fifteen more devils. He realizes that he's probably not going to find Metal Bat's little sister any time soon.
I'm not responsible for that child's death. But, if I can find her, maybe I'll be able to find the leader and kill it. He thought.
Flashy Flash saw a skyscraper about fifty meters away. It was good that he was only using an ounce of his speed, or else he would've probably passed it and dismissed it. What was on top of the skyscraper was the little girl and two devils.
Well, I'll be damned. This should be quick…Flashy Flash dashes up the skyscraper in less than a second and decapitates the devil holding the little girl. The devil that was standing next to the other raised his eyebrows.
The little girl, presumably Metal Bat's little sister, was falling.
"HELP!" She screamed. Flashy Flash ran down the skyscraper and grabbed the little girl. He jumped off the glass and landed on top of another building. Below, the devils were on a rampage.
"You're not safe here. I'll take you to one of the refuge centers." Flashy Flash said and dashed away.
When he reached the refuge center, where most of the civilians weren't infected by the devils, he ran back to the center of the action, hoping to confront the main leader. As he ran through a street, a building to his right collapsed, and a devil came right through it—ready to punch him.
Flashy Flash dodged his punch.
"Not bad for an S-Class, but you're surprisingly slower than I thought." The devil said.
"You count that as speed? I was barely moving. Plus, check your arm."
The devil's arm fell off. It was a clean cut. Damn, didn't expect that. The devil thought. Flashy Flash got in his stance.
"You're Devil Yami, as supposed—the strongest. I'll behead you."
Flashy Flash and Devil Yami clashed. Metal Bat watched as both of them went at it. They were going so fast that Metal Bat couldn't process which direction they went next.
One moment they were two miles north, and the next, they were east.
"You can't keep this up." Flashy Flash replied and beheaded Devil Yami mid-fight. Both fell to the ground. Flashy Flash saw Devil Yami stand up without his head.
"Immortality? So you're like Zombieman? Whatever, I'm taking your limbs."
The devil dodged his attack before Flashy Flash could cut Devil Yami's limbs off. What?! Did he avoid that? Flashy Flash recovered himself and watched as he regenerated.
"You have speed, but sooner or later, I will adapt." Devil Yami said.
Out of nowhere, two devils grabbed Flashy Flash's arm and held him down. These ones are just as strong as him! It was a trap! What's up with all these monsters suddenly becoming Dragon out of nowhere! At this rate, the earth is doomed. I should've tried a little from the start.
Metal Bat watched as Devil Yami approached Flashy Flash. I still don't know if he saved Zenko! Either way, I have to buy Flashy Flash sometime to escape.
Metal Bat couldn't believe it. With speed similar to Flashy Flash, someone else came behind Devil Yami and tapped him on his shoulders. Was that Garou?!
"You interrupted my day. I was planning on looking for a job, but you destroyed so many buildings in the area. You're annoying. Stop."
Devil Yami turned around and punched Garou in the face. Everything around Garou shattered, but Garou stood his ground, unfazed.
"Who said you could punch me?" Garou replied. He jabbed his hand in the devil's chest and ripped its heart out. Garou could feel the organ pumping in his hand. His palm was already filled with blood.
"Please…"
"What a waste of my time." Garou crushed the heart with his hand, and Devil Yami fell to the ground, his head facing Metal Bat. The monster was finally dead.
"Hero Hunter? Is that really you?!" Metal Bat screamed.
"Stop calling me that. The Job Hunter is more suitable for my current state." Garou said.
Since the other two devil clones were slowly turning into ashes, Flashy Flash approached Garou.
"I didn't ask for your help." Flashy Flash said.
"Make the two of us then. Anyway, I guess I'll have to search for an occupation on the city's edge until you guys clean this mess."
"Did you think about joining the Neo Heroes? I heard rumors that they're also hiring thugs and such."
"Just what are you implying?"
"Your shots at utilizing your power are better off with them."
"I'm good. I don't need a suit to kill monsters. Goodbye, clowns." Garou vanished. Flashy Flash glanced at Metal Bat.
"How many devils did you kill, Metal Bat?"
"I think two hundred in total, but they were in chunks."
"Hmmm…." Flashy Flash vanished. Metal Bat used his bat to straighten himself up. His muscles were aching. He stretched a little and walked in the direction of the refuge center.
5
Two Weeks Later
News
Reporter: Just two months after the destruction and loss of City A and its residents, the same thing happened in City S. Here, we see more heroes taking action, possibly trying to make amends for the previous event. For City S, there were still a lot of casualties, but nothing that we don't often experience, especially since there has been an increase in monster sightings this past month. We have updates on construction workers trying to make their refuge centers more durable and vast. Based on the patterns, we should prepare for another catastrophic event if it occurs soon. Let's hope our heroes are up for the task. Our lives depend on them…
City S
Metal Bat and Zenko are standing in front of a stuffed animal shop. Zenko is blushing.
"I want that one! It looks just like Tama." Zenko said. Metal Bat frowned.
"Are you sure about this? What if it gets all ripped up just like the last time?"
"Are you saying no?"
"N-no… I'm just saying."
"Just get it. Pretty please…"
"Fine."
Metal Bat and Zenko entered the shop.